m e m o i r s
by easilyobsessedctc
Summary: There were several things Sasuke wanted to say: "It wasn't your fault," was one. "You did your best," was another. But they all sounded so damn cliche. -A collection of one-shots. Sasuke/Sakura. Ratings will vary.
1. Geisha

**A/N: **This will be a place of numerous one-shots that just happen to dance around in my noggin.

Enjoy reading!

* * *

><p><em>Geisha are not courtesans.<em>

_And we are not wives. We sell our skills, not our bodies. _

_We create another secret world, a place only of beauty. _

_The very word "geisha" means artist and to be a geisha _

_is to be judged as a moving work of art. _

**_- _Memoirs of a Geisha**

"You don't have to do this."

The words were ignored as the female sat in front of the vanity table and analyzed her face in the large oval mirror. She had a purple bruise forming under her left eye. With a 'tsk' she placed her glowing fingers on her swollen skin and began to softly caress it. In a matter of minutes the skin was once again back to its original color. With a sigh, Sakura placed her hands on top of her lap as her eyes scanned over the items placed on the table before her. She reached for the comb and began to run it through her pink locks, shaking out any excess water left from her hot shower moments ago. Once her hair was rid of any tangles she began to work on her face.

Pale face.

Charcoal eyebrows and lined eyes.

Ruby red lips.

"Can you get my hair from the bag? It's on the other side of the bed," the kunoichi asked as she used a tissue to wipe off the red paint from the small brush.

Sasuke paused for a second before reluctantly pushing away from the wall where he was previously leaning and went to fetch the bag. Sakura heard the crinkling of plastic seconds before she felt the fake hair brush against her arm.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

She ran her red painted nails through her hair once more and expertly tied it into a tight bun at the base of her head. Taking the hair from the quiet man's hand, she placed it on top of her head and began to adjust it until it looked just right. Sakura was clipping it in place when her room's door opened then shut just at quickly.

"Teme! You said there was steaming ramen downstairs and all Kakashi-sensei and me found in this stinkin' fancy hotel were fish eggs and crackers! You lying son of a- Ow! What the hell, old man?"

"It's 'Kakashi-sensei and _I_', Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah. Didn't know you were a grammer teacher now, too. You know when I become Hoka- Whoa! Sakura, you look crazy different!"

Said girl giggled as she continued to twist the long, black hair to sit on the crown of her head. "Are you saying I look crazy, or I look different?"

Naruto's jaw dropped and began to sputter like a fish out of water, "I-I mean, you always look- uhh. You l-look great, but.. Different? Aghh, n-no. What I meant is that-"

"How about we just stick to saying that you look beautiful, Sakura." Kakashi interrupted with a smile.

"Thank you, Sensei."

Sakura placed the last clip into her hair and let her arms fall to her side with a sigh. Her arms tingled from having to hold them above her head while she did her hair. She scanned the items on the table once more and noticed that something was missing. Before she could ask if anyone knew where the missing objects were, a large hand flashed into her vision.

"Looking for these?" Her sensei opened his large hand to reveal the beads and small pink flowers she seeked. "Now, you see, I would offer to help you, but I don't think an old man like me would be very good at these type of things."

"Hush, you're not that old."

"When you kids call me sensei, I feel that way."

"Would you rather have us call you, 'old man who reads porn twenty-four seven with a stupid mask to hide his giant buck teeth and is probably best friends with his fist?'"

"Naruto!"

"Dobe."

"Well aren't you just a comedian, Naruto. When we get back maybe you will find running the track seventy times just as comedic."

"You would choose seventy, you old pervert, cause it's one digit away from your favorite number!"

"Very observant of you, kid. Didn't know you knew how to count," stated the older man with a crinkle of his eyes.

"Alright you two," interrupted Sakura as she placed a wooden stick that had a large white flower and hanging blossoms attached to it near the front of her face to the side. "I'm all done with my hair and make-up now, so can you guys, you know- leave?"

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan? We can't stay and wa-"

"I dare you to finish that sentence."

"Heh, kidding. Kidding."

Kakashi stepped behind Sakura and surprised the entire room when he bent to place a small kiss by her temple. He didn't fail to notice the young Uchiha's quick glare. "Though you may not be able to see us tonight, remember that we will always be watching you. That is, until you reach the next point of the mission. From there on all we can do is listen and wait for your cue to go. So when it comes to that time, _be careful_. None of us want our little blossom to be hurt." He didn't even have to question the other men in the room because he knew his concerned thoughts were the same as theirs.

"What that creeper is trying to say Sakura-chan, is that we got your back! So, don't you worry!"

"Thanks, guys. But I really need to start getting dressed."

Kakashi nodded then quickly grasped the back of Naruto's ANBU jacket as he made his way towards the door. "What the hell? How come teme gets to stay here? He has to come with us too!"

"Be down in fifteen, Sasuke. No later." The Uchiha nodded at his sensei's words with acknowledgment as he watched the two men leave and close the door behind them. He heard Naruto's whining voice get smaller as they went down the hall, "That's totally unfair that he gets to stay with her!"

His attention was diverted when he heard the sound of clothing rustling before it landed on the floor. He turned to see Sakura in just her undergarments as she placed her large duffel bag on the bed and began to search for the items of her attire for the night. She used a kunai to slice open the clear plastic surrounding each of the pieces and layers of the kimono Tsunade assigned her. Carefully, Sakura attached the kunai back to her thigh where the white bandages concealed it. She held the kimono up in the dim light and watched as the design of golden threads sparkled. Both individuals traced the outer layer of the kimono with their eyes. It was cream with an undertone of a pale yellow. Starting from under her left breast were pink sakura tree petals that cascaded downwards towards the end of the material. Golden trimmings and thread danced all over the kimono that gave it a certain alluring shine.

Sakura placed the layer onto the bed as she reached to put on the under layer. This one was entirely red and silk. The color of it was such a blood red that Sakura swore she could smell a metallic scent emitting from it. She went to grab the heavier outer layer next when another pair of hands beat her to it.

"Sasuke?" She craned her neck to look at him over her shoulder. He didn't reply and held the layer as he helped her place each arm into the large sleeves. He then took the large red silk ribbons and tied it around her waist, trying his best to make an appealing large bow.

As much as he didn't want to, he had to make her look as alluring as possible. For the sake of the mission.

"You know, it seems like you might be just a little too good at this," teased the woman with a smirk. Hoping to find a smirk of his own, Sakura frowned when she noticed that he still had an irritated expression. After he was done fixing her bow and was about to retract his hands, the kunoichi was quick to grasp one of them. She interlaced their fingers as she placed her other hand on his cheek, brushing away his dark hair.

"You've been quite silent since we were assigned this mission, Sasu-kun. Is something occupying your thoughts other than your wonderful girlfriend? You're quite lucky she isn't the jealous type." She was earned an eyebrow raise from that comment. "Okay, I can get jealous _sometimes_. But how do you expect me to react if floosies are throwing themselves at you all the time?"

Some seconds passed by as Sakura continued to brush her warm hand across his cheek and Sasuke leaning into her touch. "Sasuke-kun, please. Please stop acting this way. I need you to be alright with this because you're my rock. I need your confidence and support."

Sasuke suddenly scoffed at the end of her sentence. "How am I supposed to _support_ you in this?" he spat.

"He speaks."

"Sakura-"

"Sasuke!" She emphasized her exclamation with a pinch to his cheek. Before he could yell at her, Sakura began to speak. "Alright, I get it! You're not the happiest with this mission, but neither am I. But I'm still going to go and do it with the intention of getting the needed information back to Tsunade. You know just how long her and I have been trying to find a cure to that poison, and we are so _close_! This man tonight is that poison-making bastard's partner. He has to know the ins and outs of this deathly poison which means he has to know how to reverse the process and get it out of the body's system. This mission, a-and the lives of the men that were affected by the poison in an attack- relies all on tonight. And on me. So, please all I am asking of you is to be with me on this. I know what's going to happen tonight, and- and I have it under control," Sakura ended with confidence as best as she could.

She took this moment to stop speaking as she tried to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't afford to waste anymore time having to fix her ruined make-up. Sakura sniffled and began to inhale deeply, holding her breath for a second, before exhaling.

The taller ninja placed his hand on top of the smaller one on his cheek and squeezed. "I know the purpose of the mission, Sakura."

"Then why can't you be confident as usual?"

Sasuke let out an angry sigh through his nose. Not that he was angry at the woman before him, but more at the situation that has been placed upon her shoulders. Deep within, he knew she could handle the mission, but what plagued him were the consequences of _if_ she couldn't. No matter how small the mistake, anything could happen for the worst. And with the haunting fact that there would be a period in the mission where he couldn't even see her, only hear, it ate away at him.

"If anything happens to you-"

"Nothing is going to."

"If the damned bastard touches you-"

"I'm going to have to let him."

"You can't get hurt."

"I'll try not to."

"That's the fucking problem, Sakura! Anything can happen. If our mission is blown the team will be fine, _except_ for you. Do you understand that?"

"I already acknowledged that, Sasuke."

"Did you acknowledged the fact that you could die tonight?" he seethed. "You'll be in a room alone with a man that had some part in creating one of the deadliest poisons to exist. Just you and him, and you're going to let him fucking _touch_ you."

Sakura let out a sigh as she caught on what he was trying to get across. "We might not even have to go as far as sex if I can just get the information quick enough."

"Damnit, Sakura! You don't get it!"

"Because you won't let me! J-just tell me what's, wrong Sasuke. I know that you're not comfortable with me having to seduce another man, but every kunoichi has to do this type of mission at some point. I'm just glad that I'm doing this with Team Seven watching my back."

"'Not comfortable' is an understatement," Sasuke mumbled. "You won't die tonight.. I want you to say it."

"You know I can't guarantee that, no ninja can!"

"I want to hear you say it."

Deciding not to argue with him, Sakura moved her hand to have it rest on his neck. She could feel how fast his heart beat was, which surprised her. Why was he so worked up? On their way to the hotel she had come to terms with it, so why couldn't Sasuke? It's not like he was the one having to seduce some old poison-making man.

"Sakura."

".. I won't die tonight.. Feel better, now?"

"This isn't humorous to me."

"Oh Sasuke-kun. When _is_ anything funny to you?" She stuck out her tongue as he glared at her. Sakura so badly just wanted to hold him close and nuzzle his warm neck with her face, but she realized she couldn't. She couldn't even kiss him because of risking messing up her make-up. Damn, this sucked.

The most contact she could have with him were with just her hands. Well, then. She would take advantage of that. So she kept one hand on his neck and the other on his pale cheek.

"I wish I could kiss you."

Sasuke searched her emerald orbs and saw how much she really wanted to. He smirked. Though the rest of her body was completely changed, at least her eyes remained the same and he didn't know whether or not this was a good thing. He loved her eyes, but it did allow for the risk of people remembering or recognizing her. She was a well-known medic, after all.

"Good thing we had last night, huh?" Her eyes now held a mischievous glint.

"Aa."

Sakura smiled and turned to check the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost time.

"Sai will be notifying you guys of the bastard's arrival in two minutes," she stated in a professional tone.

The Uchiha smirked at her choice of words. Maybe the dobe was right and he was influencing her. They both knew it was almost time and he felt like he had to try at least once more.

"You don't have to do this. It is possible for someone else like Ino to handle it. She does have more experience in this type of mission."

"Yes, but that pig has never had to seduce a man this vital to saving people's lives. Even though he is the one poisoning them." Sakura knew they couldn't speak for much longer because time wasn't waiting. It broke her heart a little knowing that she wouldn't be able to see her team- her boyfriend, lover, teammate- until later. Or maybe not at all. What if she does get hurt tonight and no one was quick enough? What if she died tonight? Then this would be the last time she would ever see the Uchiha man that she trusted enough to fully give her damaged heart to.

No. _No._

She could not afford to think that way. Tonight will not be the night. Too many things were resting upon her shoulders. Plus, she had friends, and a lover, that she needed to see again. Especially that man of hers so she could properly give him the kiss she desired. She told him she would live tonight.

And Sakura wasn't one to go back on her words.

"It's almost time."

".. Aa."

"I love _you_. Only you."

"I know."

"I'll see you later tonight?"

Sasuke reached for her hands resting on his face and took them between his. He took one hand and angled it so that her wrist was revealed. He brought her wrist to his lips and placed a lingering kiss on her pulse point. Sasuke started into her eyes- her soul- with his dark orbs.

"Of course you will."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Good morning, starshine! The earth says hello :)

I've been craving to watch Memoirs of a Geisha recently, and somehow from that this story was born.

If I receive enough reviews, then I will most likely continue this plot. So in that case;_ review_, **review**, _**review**_.

Because I would love to let you lovely readers know what happens next :)

This WILL be a place of one-shots, but some may have continuing parts to it (like this one!).


	2. Geisha pt2

**A/N: **I know it's been a while since I've last updated, but that doesn't mean that I've forgotten about my lovely readers! I have been working on a few stories for this thing I've got going on here, so no worries!

I was going to divide this next part, but I thought that you guys have waited long enough and deserved the whole finished chapter to this particular plot.

Just for you people :)

Also, all possible mistakes are mine. I do not have a beta of any sort and only after I publish do I discover all of these errors.

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><em>And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, <em>

_to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, _

_would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? _

_After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. _

_These are memoirs of another kind. _**  
><strong>

**_- _Memoirs of a Geisha**

"Nice of you to join us, Teme," the fox mask teased.

"Hn."

"Sai is keeping an overview watch on her. He'll radio us through our earpiece if anything happens. Don't forget about your mask," advised the the dog masked man.

Heeding his words, the dark haired one placed his wolf ANBU mask over his face. The three men were lying on their stomachs on a hill that gave a view of the backside of the hotel. Fortunately, the whole back wall was one large rectangular window which gave the ninjas a perfect sight of the extravagant event held inside. Within the huge room were tables clothed in white silk with champagne glasses and platters of the finest delicacies galore. The room was lit by the rows of each of the seven foot long chandeliers, causing a glittering shine all around the inhabitants and bouncing off of the porcelain floor. The expensive drapes hanging from pillar to pillar and the twenty-plus men and women orchestra added a nice touch, as well.

The party was in full bloom when their target arrived through the huge oak double-doors. The forty-eight year old Japanese man entered dressed in a traditional suit, peppered-colored hair, and five bodyguards. When everyone took notice of his arrival, the orchestra changed their song to a magnificent tune fit for an entrance of a king as the hundreds of guests applauded as he made his way to the largest table in the room. The men in suits already occupying the table stood and shook hands with him, while the women dressed in the traditional kimono bowed, which he very much appreciated conveyed by his smirk and eyes trained on their chests. The moment he sat people hovered to him like moths on a light. He was eyeing one of the females appreciatively before snatching her by the waist and bringing her to sit on his lap causing everyone around him to howl with laughter or giggle.

"This freak is sick! I wonder if they even know why they're clapping for him like some king."

"I doubt every guest there knows about our target's background. Hell, I doubt they even know his name. If there is an extravagant party being held, they attend. Simple as that."

"Sasaki, Katsuro. Born in Wind before leaving to continue his travels at the age of twenty. Both parents deceased. Only brother died four years ago when ambushed by rogue nins. Cause of death: poisoned shuriken. Has since been known underground as the notorious 'Poison Producer'. Recently notified that he has teamed with Yoshido, Masaru nine months ago. Both without children or wives."

".. I think that has been the most I've ever heard the teme speak."

"Shut up."

"The last names of Sasaki and Yoshido have since been tied with mass deaths and injuries, coincidentally all caused by poisons. As his notorious name provides, Sasaki dishes out the poison while Yoshido assigns the killing. Sounds like a perfect team."

"Are you some sort of masochist, old man?"

"Big vocabulary coming from a small brain."

"Yeah well that's cause I heard Sakura-chan call you it, you stupid teme-"

"_Ugly has arrived. No signs of any guards tailing her."_

Kakashi pressed a button on his earpiece, "Alright, Sai. Keep watch for any suspicious activity."

"_Got it."_

He then pressed a second button.

"Sakura. You hear me? Everything clear?"

There was a moment of silent fuzz over each of their earpieces when she finally replied with a simple, _"Yes." _

In Sakura's case, they had to place a jutsu on her earpiece to conceal it from all other eyes. So whenever she had to reply it just seemed like she was playing with her ear. Sakura's eyes gazed over the hundreds of people gathered in the large hall, all dressed in the finest suits and kimonos, and enjoying their dinner and wine. All oblivious to the dangerous man sitting just feet away from them. It made her blood boil. She unconsciously created a fist by her side when her sensei's voice cut through.

"_Easy there, Sakura. Don't draw attention by the wrong people. We're only here for one man."_

The woman did a small nod before continuing to journey through the swarms of people, slowly making her way towards the crowded table. Sakura was thinking of ways she could fully catch his attention. She was probably one of the most beautiful women there, but that didn't hinder the fact that there were dozens of females already openly throwing themselves at Sasaki. She decided to idly walk past his vision and gauge about how much of his attention she would receive. As she gracefully shuffled by, she looked in his direction to give him a coy smirk. Her eyes watched as he caught her stare and he seemed stunned by her beauty, mouth opened from completely stopping in the middle of his sentence, however the moment ended when a different woman in an orange kimono plopped herself on his lap.

Sakura was throwing a jumble of curse words at the stupid woman under her breath when she noticed the long table littered with platters and champagne glasses. Near the end of the food table, towards the table her target was currently occupying, was a five-foot tall chocolate fountain surrounded by an abundance of fruit and other desserts. She made her way towards the huge contraption pouring out one of her most favorite things in the world and stood at an angle she knew that the criminal would have a perfect, and clear view of her.

"_Sakura-chan, this is not a time for eating!"_

She rolled her eyes as she mentally pictured one of her other teammates hitting Naruto on the head before filling him in on what exactly she was trying to do. If they even knew what she was trying to do because, hell. She didn't even know herself.

When she decided the time was right and he was looking in her general direction, the kunoichi picked up a plump strawberry, all while never breaking eye contact with the target, and blindly, but successfully, dipping it under the waterfall of chocolate.

"_You are already fat enough, Ugly."_

Sakura grit her teeth in annoyance. She forgot Sai wasn't with her other teammates and so no one could inform him of what she was trying to do.

"_Hey! Sakura-chan is not fat, you ass-"_

"_Both of you shut up."_

"_Who do you think you're talking to like that Uchiha? If Kakashi wasn't between us I would punch you in your throat so hard that-"_

"_Focus. Your stupid nonsense chatter is distracting. Just shut your mouths and keep an eye out for Sakura."_

The mentioned girl gave a sigh of relief for her sensei's interruption and got her head back into her plan.

After the strawberry was entirely coated in the melted chocolate, she slowly brought it to her lips careful to not spill on her beautiful kimono. By now she had the target's complete and undivided attention as he watched the beautiful and mysterious woman bite into the berry, pausing to suck the running juices, and moved it away from her mouth to reveal it's inner pink color.

He was transfixed.

And so was a group of other random men who were lucky enough to witness the subtle, yet effectively arousing display.

Sakura's little 'show' only lasted about a few seconds, but already had Sasaki on his feet and other guests buzzing around about who this gorgeous woman with the piercing emerald eyes was. Everyone shook their heads and shrugged having no clue to her identity.

Just the way she wanted it.

Sakura was placing her half-bitten strawberry onto the table where the chocolate fountain stood when she felt a large hand caress her forearm.

"Excuse me for being so bold, but I couldn't help my attraction towards you."

The Haruno girl gave a dazzling smile as she looked up into the devious eyes of Katsuro Sasaki.

"If I may say without the intentions of being rude, but you are not being bold _enough_."

Sasaki gave a hearty guffaw as he rested a hand low on her waist. "Well, aren't you just a feisty vixen! Quite deceiving as well. Considering your choice in wearing such light-colored clothing for a woman who seems to be fond of being bad, or should I say _naughty_?" He emphasized his accusation by leaning in to sniff the sweet scent emitting from her revealed creamy neck.

"I would say the latter would be a better description."

"Oh? Well, I think I should be the one to judge that.. Am I being bold enough now for you my vixen?"

"Better. But not as quite aggressive as I prefer it," Sakura purred into his ear. She hid her smile of triumph when she felt the hand on her waist grip her hip tighter. She used her medical skills to notice how fast his heart began to beat and how shallow his breathing became.

_Hooked. Now I just got to reel him in._

"If I may take my turn in being bold?" Sakura took his quick nod as a cue to continue, "I have a suite on the sixty-fourth floor and I was hoping someone like of your stature would be kind enough to accompany me there. _Now?_"

"That is quite a daring demand of the great Katsuro Sasaki. I am the host of this magnificent event, after all. How bad would it dent my reputation to just leave my adoring guests to mingle amongst themselves without the guest of honor? They are here for _me_. What would I receive in return for risking the idea of just leaving my event and possibly damaging my reputation for some scandal?"

Sakura heard a soft buzz in her ear before, _"Pfft. Reputation my ass. The bastard lives off of scandals with women and hookers!"_

The kunoichi forced herself to not roll her eyes at the blonde's comment. She took this moment to take a step forward and press herself against the front of his body. She brought up both of her arms and wound them around his broad shoulders. Sakura was about a head shorter than him even with her wooden sandals on. She brought her red lips to brush against the shell of his ear and whispered.

"You can prove to me just how _bold _you can be."

He struggled to hide his sudden gulp. Sakura took a step back as she watched the man leave her side to go talk with his guards, probably informing them of his whereabouts in the next few hours. He was most likely telling them that he was about to have sex with some beautiful woman on the sixty-fourth floor. Too bad the suite she planned to seduce information out of him from is on the seventy-fifth floor. On the elevator ride there she would just have to explain to him her silly, _innocent_ mistake with the numbers.

Oops.

"This is an elegant room you have here, Sayuri."

"I do believe it is quite quaint," Sakura replied to the fake name she told him without interest. She was too busy trying to calm her nerves. This was the point in the mission that everyone was most concerned about. Her team no longer could watch her back. All she could do is hear them- and speak, but that wouldn't be of much help since she discovered that Sasaki was a very observant man- and vice versa.

She could feel just how tense her boys were just through her earpiece. They were getting ready for anything.

She shook her head at their overprotective tendencies as she took a seat on the king-sized bed. The kunoichi folded her hands on her lap and watched Sasaki take a look around her suite. She kept an intense gaze to make sure he didn't do anything foul to her room. The man made poisons, after all.

"I've heard that you and Masaru Yoshido have befriended one another."

"And where did you hear that?" Sasaki asked as he made his way to the sitting female, now curious to how some woman knew about his dark occupation with the man.

"Yoshido."

"You've spoken to him before?"

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"Not surprised, my darling. Just curious. Which reminds me.." Sasaki took this moment to sit beside Sakura on the bed and began to caress her thigh, getting higher and higher by the minute. "I believe it is time for me to display to you just how bold I can be." He placed a hand on her shoulder to push her backwards onto the mattress. Sakura's legs were still bent over the edge of the bed and she watched the man swing both his legs over her thighs and hovered over her body leaving barely any room between.

She needed to make some progress before he got too carried away. "He told me that you are in the progress of producing something that many would be interested in."

The man's hands hesitated a bit as his focus shifted. "Is this the most appropriate time to be talking about another man?"

"My curiosity burns to know more about you."

"Ahh, well I have something that is _burning_ for you as well."

"I understand, but you must also understand that I would like to know at least a bit more about the man I am about to produce sensual ecstasy with," the female purred as she gripped his shoulder tighter and produced a fake moan while his hands roamed.

"I love the way you have with words. You are very blunt and show no shame."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As you should."

"But back to my previous inquiry: What particular matters are you collaborating with Yoshido about?"

"My God! Your bluntness shines once more! Any other person, man or woman, would at least hesitate in asking about such affairs and know when to hold their tongue."

"Yes, but _I _am one to take _what_ I want, _when _I want it, and _how_ I want it." With each emphasis of her words Sakura placed a confident hand on his crotch area and brushed harshly. His sudden intakes of breaths and the shudder of his body revealed just how much he was being affected by her ministrations.

The female was about to reach for his bulge once more when Sasaki suddenly grabbed both of her wrists into one of his hands and held them above her head. His other hand was put to work trying to unwrap the heavy, outer layer of her kimono. "No more talking," he stated as he shed the layer and threw it off the bed. He was currently rubbing his free hand up and down her body, enjoying the silky feel of the red inner layer, when Sakura decided to try again.

"If you choose not to answer any of my questions then there will be consequences."

The man gave a loud laugh once more, "And who are you to be demanding things from me? You may be an easy sight on the eyes, but you are of no significance to me."

"Is that so? Cause here I thought I was significant."

"In what ways, my dear?"

"In many ways. Unless you are quite fond of your own fist?"

Sakura took his silence as the reply she wanted. Though she got him to agree to answer any further questions, she didn't want him to get angry or frustrated because that would lead to him storming out. Now, that wouldn't be a very pleasant thing to report back to Tsunade.

Applying only a fraction of her outrageous strength, the kunoichi tightened her thighs around the man's legs and in a swift motion had him pinned on his back against the bed. His eyes were wide with shock before they turned a darker shade. A shade akin to something like lust. Sakura grabbed his hands and placed them on her thigh to keep him busy while she began to interrogate. Sakura shuddered- not out of desire, but her body's natural instincts- as Sasaki ran his hands over her thighs and squeezed as he went.

"You and Yoshido, how long has this partnership been going on? He told me several weeks."

"Several months," he corrected in a breathy voice.

She leaned forward, brushing her chest against his, and asked her next question, "And do you two _play nice_?"

"W-we do.. But I've been quite naughty lately. Do you have any consequences for that?"

There was a faint static in her ear again before she heard the whispered harsh tones of her blonde friend, _"That bastard has been watching way too many corny pornos! She's in there with some rabbit-humping freak!" _She barely recognized the voice of her own lover silencing the loud-mouth before the static ended.

Oh, hot damn.

For a moment Sakura totally forgot that Sasuke was listening to all of this, and probably trying hard not to imagine his girl doing who-knows-what. He was her boyfriend, her _lover_, and he was listening to all of the dirty talk she was doing.

Thank the heavens he couldn't see anything.

"You seem distracted, my blossom."

A beat passed before she responded. "I'm thinking about the many things I'm going to do to you."

"Then do them," he rasped.

She leaned forward once more, leaving only centimeters between their faces. "You need to learn patience," she warned.

"I'm a man that has no pati-"

His words were cut when Sakura suddenly dropped her hips and moved them against his groin in a circular motion, ignoring the fact that his pants roughly rubbed against her creamy thighs. She took triumph in his shallow gasps and stutters. "Then you shall learn," 'Sayuri' murmured against his skin as she trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses along his neck, all the while still continuing the movements with her hips. "I've been told that what the two of you have been doing could really harm dozens of people. How is that possible?" Sakura wanted to ask so many more questions because she knew time was of an essence, but if she asked too many so quickly then he would become suspicious about how she knew so much.

"Dozens, hundreds, thousands. It all really depends on the amount of people that decide to cross us."

"You are purposely hurting people?"

"Does that frighten you?" Sasaki asked with a sick smirk. He was expecting her to suddenly feel afraid of the man and was preparing to snatch her if she so thought she could run away from him. To say he was a bit surprised that she didn't make a move to leave would be an understatement.

"No. It _excites _me. Please, tell me more about the dangerous things you do."

"Well.." Sasaki took this moment to place his hands over her breasts that were still covered by the red layer and took enjoyment in her quiet mewls of pleasure that he was giving her. "The matters that we are creating are all very business intended. I help him and he returns the favor."

"Who is the actual dominant one?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"It's a partnership, darling, but I do see your point. Honestly, if it weren't for me being the _only_ person on this planet that knows how to create this matter he would have no business. So as you can assume, I'm the more significant man in the whole situation." The overconfident man trailed his hands toward her bottom and gave a generous squeeze causing the female to arch her back and let out a low moan. When she seemed to have recovered from her pleasure she spoke in a purring voice.

"I like my men to be dominant."

"Then I'm the one for you. Now stop with your teasing and take off your clothes," Sasaki demanded as he moved his hands to rest on her thighs.

"I see my bluntness has affected you. I have one more question for you though before we move on, my dear _Sa-sa-ki, _then you can finally show me how bold you can be."

The second Sakura had finished her sentence she felt a sudden spike in Sasaki's heartbeat rate, but just as quickly as it spiked the next moment it was calm again. Though very curious to what had caused his heart to do such a thing the kunoichi couldn't spend any more time pondering over it. She was so close to have the man admitting to be the only one creating the poisons that have been killing several of her comrades. This was it.

"One more question?" Sasaki asked in a peculiar tone of voice. As if he was trying to restrain himself.

Sakura nodded and ground her body against his once more for emphasis, "Then I am at your every will." She noticed the man gulp before he gave a single nod for her to continue. This was the last and most vital question. If he answered correctly, then she would be successful in having the last piece of evidence that this was the man behind all of the poison producing. He would have confirmed it, and she would have him constrained and brought back to Konoha the very next moment. Sakura released a breath through her nostrils before she spoke in a clear voice.

"What exactly are you producing with the help of Yoshido?"

The man visibly tensed and opened his mouth to answer, yet no words spilled out. Sakura's skin was tingling with anticipation, she just knew she got him! All he had to do was confirm it. His mouth opened and closed similar to that of a fish before he uttered an incoherent sound.

"Sasaki?"

Her voice seemed to have broken Sasaki out of his odd stupor. He gave her a stern look, as if scolding her. A look of disapproval and.. betrayal? Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his sudden change in demeanor. Just minutes ago his faced displayed pure pleasure from her ministrations and now he looked like his mind was working a mile a minute.

This couldn't be good.

Before Sakura could calm herself down and tell herself that she was just overreacting, the man beneath her clearly uttered the one word she needed to hear.

...

...

...

"Poison."

It felt like a ton of weight had just been lifted from her shoulders! Her tensed body finally relaxed and she gave a mental sigh of relief. Sakura opened her mouth to respond, yet at the same time she heard a static in her ear revealing the voice of her mentor.

"_Alright, Sakura. It's been done. You must now-"_

His voice was suddenly drowned out by the loud scream of her own. Sakura let loose of her grip on Sasaki's shoulders and fell to the side of him onto the plush bed. Her fresh blood instantly staining the expensive white sheets.

There was so much blood.

_Why_ was there so much blood?

The puddle of red liquid grew larger and larger by the second, shining in the dim light as it poured out of her thigh. She looked down to see that the blood escaped around the shining metal of her kunai. He had stabbed her with her own kunai! The man was sick, alright. Sakura's eyes widened as her thoughts clicked. That's why he had suddenly become so odd. His hands must have brushed over the concealed kunai on her thigh and she didn't notice it, but how did he know there was something under the bandages? She concealed it so well, so precisely..

Oh shit.

The medical skills that Sakura knew so well kicked in. Her thigh. The bastard had fucking stabbed her in the thigh. There was so much blood because he had cut her femoral artery. Her major _fucking_ artery! He did that on purpose. He knew exactly where to stab her to hit the artery. The man was a damn poison maker after all, of course he knew the anatomy of a human like the back of his hand. She seethed with pain through clenched teeth. Sakura glared at the man as he stood from the bed and straightened his suit jacket.

"Did you really think you could have fooled me, little girl?"

The kunoichi opened her mouth to give a snarky reply, but all that escaped was a raspy yelp.

"You have a beautiful body. Shame that you gave me no choice, but to ruin it. Now you'll always have a scar to remind you of how stupid you were in trying to seduce me tonight. That is, if you even make it past an hour." Sasaki gave another look towards the wound and shook his head. "From the accuracy of my stab, it looks like you won't even last a few minutes from all that blood loss."

"You talk.. Too much," Sakura groaned.

"I highly doubt that you are in a position to be insulting me, sweetheart. I'm the only one who can save your life right now. So I suggest you start begging."

Sakura's breaths were becoming shorter and her sight was beginning to fade in and out. The pain from each breath was becoming unbearable and she knew that she was losing way too much blood too quickly. She could feel the sticky liquid pooling around her entire body.

"I'm waiting."

Sakura harshly exhaled through her nose and said, "Fuck you."

"Wrong move, darling." At the end of his sentence, Sasaki took a step forward and didn't hesitate to wrap his fingers around the handle of her kunai and tugged. Sakura's entire body wracked with immense pain as he pulled the blade out of her thigh. "Foolish, foolish girl," he muttered as Sakura's screams vibrated the walls.

_Damn him!_

He knew that pulling out the kunai allowed for more blood to leak out. He was trying to kill her faster.

"You made the biggest mistake thinking that you could trespass into my party and seduce information out of me. Who do you think you are? I do not care what type of ninja or kunoichi you come from because tonight- you are going to die." The woman's vision was invaded by flashing dots as she watched Sasaki walk towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped walking mid-step.

"Oh, I forgot." Sasaki turned and tossed her kunai onto the bed. "Stupid whore," he mumbled and continued on his way. His hand was grasping the doorknob and was about to turn it when he noticed that the knob was already moving on its own. His eyebrows furrowed in question before his face was slammed against the opening door. Sakura decided to close her eyes at this moment. She knew that whoever opened the door was either Sasaki's men or hers, and at that very moment, Sakura just didn't care. The stab wound was throbbing with heated pain that traveled throughout her entire body causing her form to begin to convulse. She was on the verge of losing consciousness, but before she did she heard the loud footsteps of heavy boots running into the room. The female felt the presence of a rough, yet cautious hand land on her forehead and brush away some sweaty strands of hair. Then she felt her right eyelid being lifted and her blurred vision was met by a man's form crouching in front of her.

"She's still with us. We need to move _now_." That voice. It sounded so familiar in her ears.

Sakura then felt the same man carefully place his strong arms under her back and knees as he lifted her off the soaking bed. She felt the air brush against her exposed skin as they made their quick exit, but before she was completely out of the room Sakura willed the strength to open her eyes a bit before the door closed behind them. Through her hazed vision she saw the form of Sasaki laying limp by the doorway. His body didn't move and his neck seemed to be twisted in an odd way. Then the door shut and she noticed three other figures quickly following behind her in the hallway.

o-o-o-o-o-o

There was a soft hum in her ears before it began to slowly transform into the sound of beeping. A slow, rhythmic beeping.

It was annoying.

But Sakura was thankful for it because she could recognize that type of beeping anywhere. It was the sound of her heart beats, which only meant that she was in a hospital and alive. She was alive and survived that horrid night. Sakura released a long sigh of relief out of her mouth which resulted in her coughing at how dry it was. The sudden sound of her cough had apparently caught the attention of someone because she heard her name being called in a smooth voice.

"Sakura?"

The next moment she felt cool glass against her cracked lips. She pursed her lips to gulp down the given water and felt as it made its way down her throat. When she was done, the kunoichi placed her hands on the bed and tried to lift herself into a sitting position, but she felt a sudden hand on her left shoulder preventing her from movement.

"No. Lay back and relax."

She gave a small smile, "Always so demanding." Sakura turned her head to be met by onyx eyes. Her smile fell when she noticed how serious and exhausted Sasuke looked. It seemed like a sudden ton of guilt just fell onto her shoulders.

"Sasuke-kun, you need sleep."

Said man emitted a tisk. "You're annoying."

"So I've been told. By you."

There was a small moment of silence as they just stared at one another.

"How do you feel?" He asked in a much calmer tone.

Sakura gave a shrug. "I've felt worse, but I've been better. I'm just very sore." She then remembered her stab wound and lifted the white sheets to see her thigh. It was wrapped in bandages and only a spot of blood was seeping through. "Scar?"

"Not too bad. Tsunade still wants to work on it."

Sakura gave a hum in acknowledgment before letting the sheet fall back onto her legs. She returned her attention to the man sitting closely next to her. Sasuke was leaning back in a chair with his arms crossed over his chest. His face held a blank expression, but Sakura could tell that he was annoyed. The girl held eye contact as she spoke, "Stop that. I'm fine now so there's no need to be so grumpy."

Instead of fixing his silent anger, her words seemed to have done the opposite and set it off. His eyes became darker and narrowed. She noticed that his jaw began to clench and unclench as he tried to get a control on his rage.

"Now. You're fine _now._ But you were fucking _dying_ in my arms just a few hours ago," Sasuke seethed.

Sakura let out a tired sigh then placed a hand on her boyfriend's elbow. "Sasuke..." She gently pulled on his arm before he let up and allowed her to pull his hand to lay on her bed. Sakura interlaced their fingers and she gave a squeeze. "I'm here. With you. And I'm going to be fine. We've been in worse conditions. What happened to Sasaki?"

Anyone else may not have noticed it, but Sakura did. She saw him flinch at the mention of the target's name. "Dead," he answered in an empty voice.

"Was Tsunade angry?"

The Uchiha nodded, "She'll get over it."

The female let her head fall back onto the pillow. "Damn. She wanted him arrested and alive."

"He's better off dead."

Sakura turned to give him a pointed look which Sasuke returned with one of his own.

"Whatever," she huffed. "What's done is done. It's probably his fault for killing all those people."

Another pause of silence.

"You're off duty for a month. No missions until then."

"What! Did Tsunade order this?"

"No, I requested it from her. She agreed."

"Sasuke, you can't just go and do that! That is my decision to make- not yours!"

"What's done is done," he repeated her own words.

Sakura threw glares his way, "You ass." She was so irritated by his actions that she let go of his hand and tried to pull away, but Sasuke's hand was quick to hold on tight. She wanted to be angry with him. She wanted to be so very angry. But she couldn't. Because Sakura knew that though Sasuke may seem fine now, he was just waiting to let her have it. It was like the calm before the storm. The second that she was released from the hospital and Tsunade allowed her to go home, she knew Sasuke was going to give her the longest lecture ever filled with multiple '_I told you so'_s. Sakura could already picture it. He was going to make her sit there as he went on and on about how he just _knew_ something bad was going to happen. How he _told _her that it was too dangerous and that she shouldn't have agreed to the mission.

So, she had to be nice for the moment because he was acting civil and calm. Well, at least he was before he for sure knew that she was going to be alright.

"A whole _fucking_ month," Sakura sighed. "Well," she began as she played with Sasuke's fingers. "At least it's a month off that I have to spend with you." She smiled when she noticed that the anger and concern left his face. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, for worrying you and- and thank you for..."

The man squeezed her fingers in quiet understanding.

"Please let the others know that I'm thankful for them, as well."

He nodded.

"...And I know that you're angry with me for not listening to you, but you have to understand that it is my duty to accept the mission with full-"

"Shh. Quiet." Sasuke interrupted. "We'll talk about it later."

Sakura gave him a shining smile. She was just so much in love with this man.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Sasuke-kun," she uttered with so much sincerity.

His warm hand grasped onto Sakura's smaller one tighter and said,

"I told you I'd see you later, Sakura."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Thank you so much for reading! Since this is a place of one-shots, please feel free to send me any ideas for plots that you would like to see! I love hearing from you guys and girls.

And always, please review, _review, _**_review_ **-and I just might put up the next installment quicker! Just sayin' ;)


	3. Motivation On Ice

**A/N: **I do not own anything, but my own thoughts.

Alright, I know some of you may have already read this one-shot of mine because I have it posted separately under my stories (Also under the same title, _Motivation On Ice)_, but I'm pretty sure that not everyone has read it before. So the point of my babbling is that some of you may have already read this and I am sorry if you're frustrated that you didn't get a new story. But like I said, some of you haven't.

Posting this is me trying to buy myself some time as I try to crank out another one-shot. I have one almost finished so show me some love and I'll get it up as soon as possible!

This one is a lot less tense, and I do not believe it is my best work. Either way; _Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll let you have your way with me tonight."

".. No."

Sakura was about to tear out her pink locks but settled in gritting her teeth. "And why the hell not, Sasuke?" She gave her boyfriend of seven months the most threatening glare she could muster up when she saw that he was giving her a small, arrogant smirk as he continued to walk her back to her apartment. The apartment that she intended for her alone to live in, but ever since she began dating the young Uchiha he has spent almost every night with her. Sometimes she wondered why he would even stay over so much when he had a huge, luxurious condo of his own.

"I already get to have my way with you."

"E-excuse me?" stuttered Sakura.

"And don't call me that."

Ignoring his last comment she exclaimed, "You do not get to have your way all the time!"

"Hn."

Sakura knew that Sasuke was just teasing her because she does _not _let him have his way with her all the time. Even if her boyfriend was a man of many talents and magical fingers, the girl had to draw a line somewhere. Thinking of an idea to finally get him to give in and take her ice skating at the new outdoor rink by the giant Christmas tree. Sakura internally giggled to herself in excitement.

"Jeez. You make me sound like some loose whore. Fine, if that's how you really feel.."

_Wait, for it. Wait, fo-_

"You know that I don't think that."

"Really Sasuke-kun? Because lately I feel like I don't know you at all anymore. You just keep pushing me away." She began to sniffle and tremble her bottom lip to seem as if she was about to cry. He could never, and she meant _never,_ stand to see her in tears.

A pause.

"No, I don't."

A pause.

"Don't cry, Sakura," Sasuke mumbled as he opened the door to her apartment.

Sakura huffed as she hung her coat on the rack by the door, revealing her cream colored dress, and swiftly walked past him to enter her living room while being careful to not touch him. Touching him could set him or even herself off and she would be busted leading to her never going to the rink. _"And I want to go ice skating, damnit!" yelled Inner Sakura. "He better get off his lazy ass and take us because everyone is going tonight and I will NOT be the only girl in Konoha to not go skating because of some stupid Uchiha pride!"_

"Whatever, Sasuke-kun. You don't care." She was getting a bit frustrated because she was doing all these things just to trick her boyfriend in taking her skating. The fact that she had to trick him into it made her feel a little bad because she didn't want to fool Sasuke-kun, but it had to be done. It was the only way. Sakura took off her boots and was about to flop onto the couch deflated when a warm hand grasped her wrist.

"I do," he stated. An image of him in a black tuxedo and her in a white gown flashed through her mind before she shook it away. Sasuke placed both of his large hands on each of her cheeks and began to wipe away the tears with his thumbs. "I do care."

"You sure have a hell of a way of showing it."

"Hn.. Fine. I'll take you to that rink tomorrow."

"Tonight."

"Tonight? What would be the difference?" Sasuke asked, getting a bit agitated. Why did she have to want to go ice skating? Why couldn't she just have chosen to sit quietly and eat a tomato in the warm confines of her home? Oh, right. Because he ate the last of her stash of tomatoes.

"Everyone is going tonight, Sasuke-kun! Ino and Naruto said that they all wanted us to go as a group. Personally, I just think they all want to see each other fall on their asses, but not me! You, however, have a problem. You better practice before everyone arrives to save yourself some embarrassment." She paused to wink at him before continuing to rub her left eye that got some run down mascara in it. "Because the moment you fall on your butt Naruto will never stop laughing. He might even piss himself and then go telling everyone that you suck at skating."

"I do not suck at ice skating," he murmured as he followed her into the bedroom. He leaned against the door frame and watched her let down her hair from it's loose ponytail. Sasuke smirked when Sakura went to remove her dress, but struggled with the zipper on the back. He should go over there and help her, but he wasn't going to. Not this time. The Uchiha gained some enjoyment when she begged. Well, in certain situations he enjoyed it. Begging him to go ice skating- he did not enjoy.

"_Sasuke-kun," _Sakura whined. "I know that you're standing there watching me look like an idiot, come help me!"

"...You didn't ask nicely."

Sakura let out a huff , "Please and thank you, you jerk!"

Giving in, he silently pushed himself off the wall. Walking up behind her he swatted her hands out of the way as he grasped the zipper and tugged down revealing her lacy tan bra and bare back. He brushed her hair to lay on one of her shoulders and lowered his head to gently nip at her exposed skin. "I could just have my way with you right now-," he murmured before licking the spot where he nipped a little harder. "And not have to go to that stupid place." He smirked when he felt her shudder.

"That's n-not fair, Sasuke-kun. You already agreed to go," Sakura whispered in a breathy tone. He knew all the places that got her nerves tingling. "It's not stupid either."

"We could have so much more fun here."

Sakura bit her tongue to prevent a long, breathy moan. She would not fuel his already at maximum ego. The girl was about to lift her arms behind her to wrap them around his neck when she realized exactly what he was trying to do. The sneaky bastard. As if suddenly snapped out of a stupor, Sakura placed the hand that wasn't occupied with holding her dress up to her chest on Sasuke's firm one and shoved.

"You can't back out of it now! You already agreed. We. Are. Going. That's final. So, go take a shower and make yourself smell all sexy and whatnot. We're leaving at seven."

She turned to exit the bedroom when his voice stopped her, "Smell sexy?" Sakura's face grew pink and opted to sticking her tongue out at him before quickly entering the kitchen.

. . .

"Finally, Forehead! Took you long enough to drag your asses here, we've been waiting for like seven hours!"

"Tch. It's only been forty-five minutes."

"Yeah, Ino. Give my teammates a break, will ya! I'm sure they were busy doing other things like having hot, wet- OW! Sakura, that was a hard twig!"

"Yeah, whatever. At least you made it," she tugged at her boyfriend's hand and ignored his mumbled, "Troublesome." She turned her head to yell behind her as she continued to walk, "C'mon you three! The others are waiting for us, they're already on the ice!"

Sakura gave Naruto another pointed look, in which he returned with a sheepish smile, and interlaced her hand with Sasuke's and latching onto the wrist of her orange-clad friend. And their trek toward the white ice occupied by families and friends began. Sasuke mentally gulped.

. . .

"Sasuke-kun, you can't just lean on that rail forever."

"Hn." _Yes, I can. Watch me._

"You've been there for an hour. You haven't even skated with your talented girlfriend yet," the pink-haired girl added in a pout for emphasis. "This place closes at midnight and we have to get in as much skating as possible!" Because internally, Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to convince her boyfriend to come here again until a long- _long_- time.

She did a small spin on the ice before slowing her speed and skated her way towards him. She softly bumped into his chest with a _thud _and smiled up at him. She untangled his arms from its crossed position over his chest and wound them around her shoulders.

"Just because you've got every female here fooled to thinking that you're oh so cool by leaning on this damned rail, I know better."

He lowered his gaze to give her a raised eyebrow.

Sakura gave him a small smile. "It's not that scary, Sasuke-kun," she spoke in a gentle voice.

".. I'm not scared." Of course he wasn't.

She gave a small nod before pushing herself out of his grasp. "Alright. Just don't do anything crazy while you stand there. Ya know, while doing _nothing_." With that his girlfriend turned and began skating towards the girls in the middle of the ice. Sasuke shifted his gaze to a young man whom was staring at him as he skated by and watched as the said man blushed and lost his balance, falling on his face. He guessed he had a male audience too.

. . .

Sakura sighed, resulting in her breath becoming a white puff in the chilling hair. She continued to skate behind her friends and watched as they paired off with their partner. All except her. And who's fault was that? The stubborn Uchiha that was posted all the way across the ice from her. She could barely make out that he was watching her from their long distance.

Due to her state of spacing out, Sakura wasnt quick enough to catch Shikamaru's warning, "Oi, watch out Sakura!" It was too late when his message finally processed and she skated smack dab into another person's hard body. They both fell ungracefully onto the freezing, hard ice in a mess of tangled limbs.

_Ouch._ She looked to her left thigh and found that it had become the victim of a blaring red cut about four inches long. It wasn't deep, but it wasn't a paper cut, either. Her legs involuntary shifted and she noticed that her legs were trapped under a pair of heavier ones clad in dark jeans. A shine of red caught her gaze and she glimpsed at one of the stranger's skates and noticed that the blade was tainted with a little bit of her blood. She looked up at the other person and was met with dark hair.

"I'm so sorry! This is terrible. Here, let me get off of you." Said person quickly, yet carefully, scrambled away from her and pushed himself up into a standing position.

"Here."

A hand was suddenly in her line of vision and she gave him a grateful smile before latching onto it. However, when he went to tug the Haruno off the ice her leg suddenly stung with pain from the cut, causing more blood to run out, and she buckled. The poor man was caught off guard and caught her just in time before they both fell onto the frozen floor once more.

Sakura mentally thanked the man for taking the brunt of the fall, and slowly opened her eyes. The stranger was staring at her with a large grin. "We've got to stop bumping into each other like this. I barely know you."

Sakura went pink in the face when she realized their position. Her on top of him. Him holding one of her arms with the other around her waist, holding her steady. Her leg in between his, near his-

Her ears were on fire as she quickly moved to sit on her butt and pushed away from his body so that they were no longer touching. After she mumbled a quick apology, she heard a familiar girly giggle. She whipped her head toward the direction of the sound and found that all of her friends were intently watching her interact with the stranger-boy. Ino giggled again at Sakura's wide eyes and began to push her friends away as she mouthed a _good luck _with a wink.

_Ahem._ Sakura returned her attention to the strang-

"Hi, I'm Akihiko. And you are..?"

Oh. "Oh! I'm Sakura."

"Sakura," he repeated. "Nice name. Here, let's try this one more time." He used his palms to once again push himself up and lowered his hand in her direction. The young girl blinked at his hand for a second before grasping it and pulling herself to stand on ice skates once more. She was awkwardly crouched a bit to her left side because of the cut, but nothing too serious. She could handle it.

"You can let go of my hand now, but I have no problem if you don't want to," stated Akihiko as he tried to look into Sakura's green orbs. She blushed at the sight of his gleaming dark eyes. They were pretty dark eyes.

Dark eyes.

As if a switch went off in her head, she swirled toward the direction where her boyfriend was last seen leaning on the rails. However, he was no where to be seen. She began to frantically turn her head left and right, trying to search for her boyfriend. Worry and panic began to form bubbles in her stomach at the thought of him leaving her there alone. He wouldn't. Would he? No- No way.

But-

As she whirled around she finally took notice of Akihiko and that he was no longer looking at her, but he was staring off at something behind her. Sakura slowly craned her neck to follow his gaze, and she let out a breath of relief that she didn't know she was holding.

She found him.

Search over.

He didn't leave her.

Sasuke was standing less than a few inches behind her. How and when he got there without her noticing? She didn't know. She would have to ask him about that later.

Wait a _spotted cow_ second.

Sasuke Uchiha was standing behind her. She was standing near the middle of the ice rink. Which meant..

"Sasuke-kun, did you-?"

Her question died in her throat when she saw the expression on his face. To anyone else it would seem like he was just giving the other man a blank stare with a little bit of furrowed brows. But to Sakura, she saw it all. She knew that the furrowed brows, the narrowed eyes, the clenching and unclenching of his jaw meant that he meant business.

_Why would he be angry anyways? It's not like she did anything rea-_

Sakura lost her train of thought when her knees buckled, thankfully Sasuke was there to catch her, as a shot of throbbing pain coursed through her cut. Damn, it hurt.

"Oh shit, Sakura! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that it was that bad of a cut! We shouldn't just stand here. There's a first-aid kit over by the booth. We need to tend to that as soon as possible! S-Shit, I am so, _so_ very sorry Sakura."

The female shook her head and unclenched her teeth long enough to say, "It is in no way your fault Akihiko. You didn't do it on purpose. I bumped into you."

"It doesn't matter! You're hurt and it was caused by me-."

"Akihiko," she repeated. "Don't worry about me. I've had a lot worse." Sakura wrapped her left arm around Sasuke's waist to steady herself as she held out her right. She gave him a small smile as he took her hand into his and shook it. "It was nice meeting you, Akihiko. Maybe we will see each other around."

He didn't let go of her hand. Yes, he could feel the deathly glares of the young Uchiha, but that didn't stop him just yet. "The pleasure was all mine, and I am hoping that we do run into each other again. Not literally though. And I can't apologize enough about that cut. I'm so sorry, next time I promise I'll be more careful around your clumsy self!"

"There won't be a next time."

Sakura shockingly stared at her boyfriend that finally broke his silence. She recovered, and pinched his side for his rude comment.

"Hn." _You better be careful._

She gave him another pointed look before speaking, "Anyways, see you around Akihiko." Sakura waved at him as he reluctantly let go of her hand and turned to exit the rink.

"Yeah, catch you later!"

. . .

"You don't have to carry me like this."

"Hn."

A pause.

"Put me down."

"No."

Well, that was a quick response. Knowing that there was no point in arguing with Sasuke when he was like this, she opted for just resting her chin on top of his head as he gave her a piggy-back ride back to her apartment.

She let out a sigh. Then, "We didn't have to leave the others so early," she mumbled against his hair.

"We have to patch you up."

"No, we don't."

"Sakura." Saying her name sternly was his way of warning her: Don't push his buttons. Especially when it came to her own well-being.

Sasuke tightened his hold on the female and continued his walk back to her apartment. They were almost there. Her building was in sight before his vision became clouded with white puffs of chilling air. He would wait a few seconds for the faint puff to leave his vision when another one would appear. It became a pattern.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

A puff of white air.

"I love when I can see my breath in the cold."

She was one odd apple. Or cherry blossom, in this case.

. . .

The couple were cuddled on her couch with thick blankets galore piled on top of them. They were watching some action film on television. Well, Sakura wasn't really even paying attention. She was unconsciously touching the large gauze bandaging pad on her thigh that Sasuke placed over her cut after cleaning and disinfecting it.

There was just something irking her thoughts..

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hm?"

"How did you get to me when I was in the middle of the ice rink? I mean, you could have walked all the way around the rink, but that would have taken way too long and I doubt-"

"What do you think? I skated there."

"You s-skated to me-e?"

He raised an eyebrow at her stuttering.

Sakura cleared her throat before continuing. "I'm just a little surprised, is all. You constantly refused to leave that rail earlier and then the next second, you're behind me with that face of yours."

"What face?"

"You know, that face you do when you're secretly angry or irritated, but don't want to show it."

"How would you know this?"

"Because I just do," she simply replied as if it was a real answer. "..But what I want to know is: What made you finally leave that rail and skate to me?"

"Aa. Motivation."

"Motivation? Motivation to do what? Yeah, I fell and all but it wasn't anything serious, and plus, I had someone there to help me bring me onto my feet." If Sakura wasn't watching Sasuke's face close enough, she wouldn't have been able to catch the flash of irritation cross his face as he furrowed his brows again. Why would he be irritated? It wasn't like she- Oh. _Oh. _No way. _No way. _It finally clicked to her. And there was no way she was going to let him get out of this one.

"Would you have happened to be motivated by, I don't know, jealousy?"

She caught him clench his jaw. She got him!

"It's ok, Sasuke-kun. You don't have to admit it to me because I already know you were motivated partly by jealousy. There's nothing wrong in that."

A pause of gloating triumph.

"It wasn't just jealousy."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" His girlfriend questioned as she scooted even closer to his warm body.

"It wasn't just a bit of jealousy that motivated me. I had one objective in sight that became my motivation to begin skating."

"Yeah? And what was that?"

A smirk. "You."

Silence.

".. _Oh, Sasuke-kun! _That is so sweet. You're just a great ass kisser, aren't you?"

He ran a hand up her spine while the other cradled the back of her neck as he began to slowly lay her back onto the couch. He was hovering dangerously close to her, being sure to not touch her wound. "I can do a lot more than just kiss your ass. How about letting me have my way with you in, oh I don't know, _right now_."

Sakura looked up at him with hooded eyes as she tangled her hands through his hair and then let them rest over his broad shoulders. She leaned upward to nip at his bottom lip before kissing it with a smirk of her own.

"A deal _is_ a deal, Sasuke-kun."


	4. Just a Corner

**A/N:** I do not own Naruto.

Please excuse all mistakes. I do not have a beta.

This particular shot is a bit more on the angst side.

I recommend listening to the presented song while reading!

A short and sweet a/n-_ Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><em>just to occupy one minute of your day<em>

_just to sleep underneath your bed_

_just to stay in the corner of you heart_

**_Corner of Your Heart- _Ingrid Michaelson**

The room was dead silent.

Everything lay completely still. The broken glass bowl that just moments ago held the contents of her entire day's work lay at her feet. Sakura slaved away since morning to make his favorite dish before he arrived home that evening. She woke up especially early, right when the sun awoke, to be first at the market. It was a Sunday, after all. It was only a matter of minutes before the market and streets would begin to buzz with the chatter and energy of Konoha. The female was even able to get a discount on the pounds of tomatoes she purchased! It began as a good day.

She wanted to make him something special. Something nice and familiar to come home to.

Since Sakura realized that _she _wasn't that 'something special'.

Always putting his happiness before herself.

Sakura stared at the shards laying on the floor of her apartment's kitchen. As she stared, the solid tears glittered back at her from their position on the tile. ..Or would it now be considered _their _kitchen? What did it matter, he's never there.

_Stop being so negative! _

It's true, though.

_It is.. But he needs us- you._

The sudden whistle of the teapot on the stove was a welcomed intrusion. It was nice to have something cut the tensed silence. Yet, she did not dare be the first to speak or move. She was always the first to do something in their relationship. She always made the move. The effort.

The dates.

The dinners.

The training sessions.

The walks. The sex. The movie nights. The lunches at Ichiraku. The missions. The conversations. The touches. The greetings. The-

It all became one big blur.

Like an obligation-

A _duty_.

Not something she did just for her burning curiosity or enjoyment. When did she become to think this way? She wondered if he ever wondered about what she was wondering. Or if he ever wondered at all, about her, about anything.

About her.

Sakura shut off all other senses as she put forth her entire energy into listening to the increasing pitch of the whistle. Her mind became envious. Why was it allowed to scream at the top of its lungs and as a result gain everyone's attention? Well, that wasn't fair. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but she didn't now did she? How come when she wanted attention she didn't receive it? It wasn't like she wanted everyone's attention.

Just one person.

Just one man.

Her gaze turned to the steam escaping from the pot. Oh how she wished to just place her hands within the steam. Just to stand over the evaporated liquid and inhale, holding it in her lungs and hopefully it would reach her stomach then decide to rest there for a bit. Maybe she will finally gain warmth again if she tried it.

Because only Kami knows just how long she's been without genuine warmth.

Silence.

...

Why hasn't she taken the tea off the stove yet?

Sakura placed one foot in front of the other and made her way to the stove. She placed a hand- a hand that has fought many battles, has wielded many weapons, has saved countless lives, has- _had_ touched lovingly- on the handle of the pot. Her hands multi-tasked. One removing the pot and placing it on the white counter. The other distinguishing the fire with a quick flick of her wrist.

More silence.

She hated it.

"Clean that up before you cut yourself."

Such a simple demand. Yes, it was a demand. No caring tone. He probably said it because he was more worried about the mess than her own well-being. He was an overly tidy person.

"I will." Such a simple, automatic reply. What else could she say? It's not like she would argue back. It was her fault, after all.

Always, always her fault.

That's what she told herself. People always disagreed, though. Like Naruto. He would always counter and say things like, _"Sakura-chan! It is never always your fault! The bastard is stupid and makes mistakes all the time. You can't take blame for everything! Your happiness matters too, ya know."_

Who said she wasn't happy?

The sound of the sudden scuffle of the chair being dragged upon the wooden floors filled the entire room and bounced off the walls. She could hear his heavy footsteps make its way towards the hallway leading to the bedroom, away from the kitchen.

The kitchen that she was in. Away from her.

"I'm going to bed."

Panic. _No! _No- nononono no_!_ She was not going to just let him leave without having dinner! Since five in the morning she slaved away in the kitchen, taking extra care into not messing anything up. She spent time and money in restocking their fridge. She bought him pounds of tomatoes! He couldn't just skip dinner after coming back from such a vigorous mission. He's done it before, but that doesn't mean it's alright. Sakura had to look out for his health! She was a medic. It was her duty. Her passion.

Her duty.

"But you can't just skip di-"

"I was never hungry in the first place."

And that was the end of it. The moment someone told the Uchiha he couldn't do something, he would go out and show them that, yes, the hell he could. No one was allowed to tell him he wasn't capable of doing something. That would just be a bad move. Maybe this is why Sakura decided to never argue with him anymore.

She would argue.

He would shoot back at her with a stinging remark.

She would get hurt.

He would stay silent. Uncaring.

She would accept it.

That's all she did these days. Just _accept_ things.

"..Alright." There she goes again.

His heavy footsteps began once more and was later cut off by the closing of the bedroom door. Sakura sniffled. No, she wasn't going to cry. She told herself she wouldn't anymore. However, when she sniffled she was hit by a metallic stench. The girl looked once more towards the shards and noticed that she had made a mess.

Sasuke would not be happy with her.

There was thick blood pouring out of the sole of her right foot. When cut in the right spot, the foot was one of the places that could bleed excessively. The liquid never stopped gushing out since the moment she stepped on it. When did she step on it? She didn't feel a thing. The blood began to form a large red pool on her tile floor, surrounding every piece of glass. It made her blood shine even brighter. The color was such a dark red. Like the deep red blood that would pour out of one's heart when it was injured.

Heart.

She just wanted to occupy a corner of his heart.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I am very honored and grateful for every alert and favorite, but I need feedback as well, my dear lovely readers! I do not want it to come off as me complaining, but I need to know your thoughts. Was it good? Did it make you laugh till your stomach cramped? Did it suck ass so bad that it made you want to gauge your eyes out?

Just _talk to me._ I'm very friendly! So, let's chat it up!

_Thank you for spending time to read. _


	5. Wipe You Clean with Dirty Hands

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**A/N:** Please excuse all mistakes. I recommend listening to the song _Spanish Sahara_ by Foals. Especially for the beginning. I used it as my inspiration for the spicy scenes and I think it creates a great atmosphere._  
><em>

Let's get to it. It's a spicy one (Rating M). _Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><em>Now the waves they drag you down<em>

_Carry you to broken ground_

_Though I find you in the sand_

_Wipe you clean with dirty hands_

**_Spanish Sahara- _Foals**

Skin on skin.

Breath mixed gasps.

Chest to chest.

Heart to heart.

_"Sasuke-"_

_Gasp._

Sakura felt her lover smirk against the thin skin of her throat. Her quiet mewls and pants seemed to fuel his ministrations as he continued his trek down her neck, collarbone, chest.

Heart.

The bastard was good.

She let out a throaty moan when he hit a particular deep spot within her, clawing at his back and shoulder blades, leaving crescent marks in his skin. Leaving her mark on him. Sasuke let out a grunt in response as he made it his objective to hit that spot over, and over, and over, again. He thrived on her moans. Her shudders. Her body.

He thrived on her.

_"Please, _Sasuke!_"_

He knew exactly what she was trying to say when she called out his name like that. He could _feel_ what she wanted. It took his breath away when she did that. Those little ministrations. Sasuke wasn't one to be very religious, but sometimes he caught himself thanking the gods for her impeccable control of her muscles.

"D-don't- _aah- _stop…"

"Stop?"

Both individuals knew that the Uchiha's hearing was perfectly fine, exceptional even. Sasuke just wanted to be- Sasuke. A jerk, in the words of his lover. She opened her mouth to let out a snarky retort when a disappointed whine escaped her throat instead at the feel of Sasuke slowing his movements.

Her eyes were clenched tight, trying to will the warm body above her to move faster. Move _harder._ Sakura was so wrapped up in her mental pleas that she hadn't realized that the man came to a full stop, laying over her on his elbows completely still. The only movement was of his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath he let out against her left cheek.

Confused green eyes slowly fluttered open to greet his. One look at his small arrogant smirk had her face transform into one of irritation and her pretty pink lips formed a hard scowl. The small hands that once caressed Sasuke's hard back now dug it's nails into his skin and pulled down, causing his body to press the soft one under him further into the girl's knobby mattress.

He hated her mattress.

"Move, asshole," Sakura viciously growled into his ear. She emphasized her demand by pulling his body closer to the point where he was basically lying entirely on top of her. He ran his nose down the side of her slick neck, leaving a trail of opened mouthed kisses, and breathed a faint, "No."

The woman swore she was going to throttle him. But instead of throwing a snide comment like she was sure he was expecting her to she bit her tongue and remained quiet. Sakura gently ran her nails down his back, following the lines of his sinewy muscles and pale scars. Then when she reached that point on his lower back and a little to the left, she gave a quick rake of her nails and smirked at his immediate reaction. He completely froze in his actions and she could feel the shudder that ran down his spine under her dancing fingers.

Sasuke raised his head to stare into the bright green eyes that shined with laughter, but held a darker shade of something else. He knew precisely what it was because he was sure his own orbs conveyed the same thought; feeling.

It must have flashed through his eyes because in that moment her expression shifted from one of mirth to bewilderment to recognition to complete, utter warmth. Sakura lifted her arms, placing them behind his neck, and leisurely pulled his face down toward hers. She kissed his nose and smiled because she was aware of how it made him feel like a child when she did that.

Then a soft brush of pink lips across his jaw. Then, finally, she pressed her lips against his. A short one. Then another, more firmly, then another and another. Sasuke became tired of playing games and leaned forward to capture her mouth as he reached to pull her thigh higher, pressing her warm body solidly against his own.

"Sasuke-kun. If you don't hurry- _mm… _he'll come back soon." Sakura paused at the sound of her front door unlocking. "Damnit," she huffed and poked a hard finger at his ribs, giving him a look of, '_I told you so.'_

"Hey, asshole! You only gave me enough money for two people. What did you expect me to buy with that?" The sound of the door being kicked shut resounded through the apartment. "So, I only got Sakura-chan and I breakfast, but then you're lucky I ran into Shikamaru on the way back. I guess he was getting some food, too. I'm assuming it was for the loud blonde, but that's totally something I don't want to picture right before I eat. Or at all. Anyways, I snatched one of his bags of take-out. Good thing he's too lazy to do anything about it."

The couple could hear the rustling of plastic bags as it was dumped on the table and footsteps continuing closer towards the door. Sasuke reached over the bed to pluck the thin blanket off the floor and covered Sakura from head to toe. He heard her give a snort before sticking her pink head out.

"Now, Sakura-chan, before you go and blow my head off and accuse me of being a kleptomaniac; I just want to defend myself and say that if I didn't go and did what I did then teme here would starve and- …What the fuck? God, Sasuke, you're such a _dick_." Naruto heard a masculine snort from the nude man at his choice of words. "You can't warn a bro? And for goodness' sake, you can't _close _the door? What, were you too eager to put your junior i-" For a pillow, having to be soft and cushioned and all, Sasuke made sure it'd hurt when it whopped him right in the face. Rubbing his nose, Naruto surrendered. "Okay, okay. I get it. I'm leaving. And, oh- look. I'm _closing _the door. Like a normal person."

The pair still in bed watched as the door shut behind the retreating orange figure. "I told you." Sasuke blinked and glanced at the woman under him before rolling off to lie beside her. "Well, not much we can do now." The pink haired woman tenderly patted his cheek before sitting up to pull his discarded shirt over her head. "What are you going to do?" She asked as she slipped on a clean pair of panties from her drawer and gave a pointed look at Sasuke's lap.

"Hn." Sakura's smile became beaming as he tried to be nonchalant about his uncomfortable predicament. "You're hilarious," Sasuke deadpanned.

"It's part of my charm."

The still naked man stood from the bed and rummaged through her wooden drawers to grab a pair of his own clean boxer-briefs and towel. Nothing an extremely cold shower couldn't fix. He hoped.

"Well, while you do _that._" Her small smirk returned and his dark eyes narrowed at the sight of it. "I'm going to go help Naruto gouge his eyes out and set up breakfast. Don't take too long." She gave his bare bottom a quick smack before walking towards the door, singing a, "Have fun!" over her shoulder. The door softly clicked shut, and then;

"Naruto, you thieving pervert!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Well, hello to all! Long time no see, no? Life and university has been drowning me lately with all of its ridiculous nonsense, but overall it could be worse.

Always remember, happiness is a choice, my dearies.

I'm actually in my biology class right now sitting in the corner trying to turn my screen away from prying eyes because.. uh, well you just read what I wrote and it's not exactly public appropriate.

Again, please excuse any mistakes. I finished writing at 4am and I've just been so anxious to post it and let you guys read it so I was like, fuck it. And here we are...

Additionally! I will be going back and forth with ratings. I usually wouldn't put a warning at the beginning of each story with the type of rating, but if you all would like me to warn you beforehand- please, _please_ let me know. Some people may not feel comfortable with reading such "intimate" scenes or cursing, and I totally understand.

If you have any ideas for a plot you'd like to see, well, bring it on over! We can chit chat about it and I'll try my best to crank it out.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, alert and whatnot! I know I haven't been the best at replying, but please be sure to know that I do read every single one. And they warm my heart to the moon and back. Some left plot recommendations and I have taken them into account, but just allow me some time to get back into writing again. Many also seem to really want a continuation of Chapter 4, _Just a Corner, _and I've spent time thinking about it as well. Do you all have any suggestions on how I should continue it? Let me know.

Not only am I writing for myself, but I'm also writing for you and for your enjoyment.

_Have a wonderful day! Drop a review. Until next time. Thank you._


	6. And I Wonder

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, nor the mentioned lyrics.

**A/N:** Hello, all! It's been a while. I'll see you at the bottom ;) Please excuse any mistakes. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>and i wonder<p>

* * *

><p><em>And I wonder if you know<em>

_What it means to find your dreams_

* * *

><p>"Do you ever think about the what if's?"<p>

"How so?"

"You know; what if this happened instead of _that _and what if that happened instead of _this_?"

"Hm."

"…So, do you?"

"At times-"

"Really? 'Cause I do all the time-"

"-but, I do not believe it serves a purpose. Dwelling on what has already occurred is meaningless."

Gentle fingertips brushed the line of his jaw. "You've grown so much."

"You think so?" Obsidian met emerald.

"Yes," she breathed. "And I'm so happy for you… but…"

_And I wonder, will I ever?_

"But I feel like I'll never catch up to you."

. . .

"It's rude-" a thump to her head jolted her out of her thoughts "-to ignore your elders."

Sakura rubbed at her scalp and turned to stick her tongue out at her former sensei. "Yeah? Well, it's rude to read porn in public, not to mention incredibly inappropriate, but you don't hear me complaining."

"You're complaining now, aren't you?"

"Technicalities, technicalities, old man."

"I'm really not that much older than you," Kakashi sniffed, his chin held a littler higher.

"If you say so… Hey Kakashi?" Sakura paused until she knew she had his attention, and by the small tilt of his head, she did. She continued, quieter. "If you had the chance to go back in time to be with your loved ones, would you? Would you change the past if you could?"

A beat of silence passed before the one being questioned silently closed his book and placed it on the wooden table. His gaze was sharp and Sakura had to avert her eyes, feeling uncomfortable and entirely vulnerable by the searching look. "Where is this coming from?"

A shrug. "I was just wondering." He didn't look convinced. "You know me, sensei, always spacing out. Ino calls me, 'The Wondering Soul'. You know, like _wondering_ instead of _wandering_. I guess that's her attempt at playing with words and trying to be clever."

The silver-haired man waited for Sakura's rambling to pass. He knew it was just something she reverted to whenever she was out of her element.

Kakashi's voice was soft, but solid, when he replied. "You know me well enough by now, Sakura, that you should already know the answer to that."

He watched with quiet amusement as the girl's mouth opened and closed then opened once more, trying to think of a response. Sakura took a deep breath and settled for a single nod instead. He knew she wanted a more elaborate answer, one that she hoped would solve her own churning thoughts, but Kakashi was sure that his former student would figure it out. It's funny, he thought, that though it's been a while since he last formally taught the rascals as their sensei he still couldn't shake off the habit.

"Hey, Kakashi?

"Yes, Sakura?" Kakashi hummed.

"Did it hurt?"

"…Did _what_ hurt?"

Sakura could barely withhold the smile that broke across her face. "When you fell off your dinosaur?"

"Oh, dear god." The older man pushed away his empty bowl of curry and stood. "You've been letting Naruto hang around you too much."

"You love us, don't deny it."

Strong, calloused fingers ruffled her pink locks. "I would never." Sakura's eyes shined at the familiar gesture and one-eye-crinkle. "Take care of yourself. See you later." And with that her once sensei turned comrade and friend was already out of the restaurant and across the street, orange book in hand. Sakura grumbled to herself and made a mental note to give Kakashi's knee a good kick for leaving her with the bill _again _when she saw the innocent pile of money, enough to cover for both their meals plus tip.

The apocalypse was coming, Sakura was sure.

. . .

He didn't mean to. Honestly.

There were a number of things he'd rather do than expend time listening in on the conversation between his teammate and her friend, but it just so happened that they entered his path as they exited the Yamanaka's flower shop. He was still a good amount of feet away that they didn't immediately sense his presence, and for some strange reason, he didn't want them to. Thus, Sasuke hid his chakra signature the moment he spotted them. He didn't want to ponder on the idea of _why_.

It was late afternoon so the streets were beginning to bustle as people began to prepare for the evening. Through all the noise of vendors advertising their products and children laughing as they kicked a worn ball around, weaving between the adults, Sasuke still had exceptional hearing. He could hear the words spoken between the two females as clearly as if they were right beside him.

"…loves me not. Ino. Give me another one of those flowers."

A scoff was the blonde's reply. "Geez, being cooped up in your office sure has made you incapable of manners. Fine, but this is the last one, you hear? We have to show up to Hinata with _something_."

Ino was right. It wasn't like they could congratulate the shy girl on finally gathering the guts to ask Naruto out to lunch, as a _date, _and present a bouquet of bare stems. But what was one more flower going to hurt? Sakura ignored her friend's chiding with a short wave of her hand and took the offered orange flower. "This one has a lot of petals," she observed.

"It does," Ino agreed.

Silence stretched on between the two, no words spoken, only the quiet humming of the blonde friend as they continued on their path. With a quiet exhale through his nose, Sasuke concluded that he wasted his time following his comrade for no apparent reason and turned to enter the market to his right when he heard a soft, defeated sigh escape pink lips. He stopped, one foot perfectly parallel to the other, and listened.

"He loves me not."

"What's with the gloom and doom look for, Forehead?"

Sakura shook her head and repeated, "_He_ loves me _not. _I just always thought that-?"

Perplexed at why her friend was getting so worked up over the childish flower game, Ino asked, "Who loves you not? What's going on?"

"I wonder."

Instead of prompting the girl, Ino bit her lip at the lost look on Sakura's face and waited for her to continue. "I wonder- wonder of what it would be like if I fell for him instead. Would it be different?"

"Sakura," Ino began softly, licking her bottom lip, concern thick in her tight voice. "Who's _him_?" Though she asked, Ino already had a hunch who. It was actually more than a hunch, she full out knew whom she was referring to in that whispering voice of hers, but she had to ask, had to confirm.

Never breaking her stride Sakura turned to look at her slightly taller friend with muted eyes that held _something_.

"Him."

No emphasis. No elongating the word. No flirty wink and cheeky smile. Just the one syllable, and even then the air felt like it was physically knocked out of Ino. She felt slightly heavier with the new admission weighing on her conscience.

Before Ino could turn disbelieving blue eyes to search the other girl's face for any trace of teasing Sakura interrupted. "I think-" she shook her head, short pink locks getting caught on her eyelashes, "I'm _sure_, it would be warmer. Brighter." Sakura looked down at the last petal in her hand. She gently picked it between her thumb and index finger and very slowly rubbed it, the soft, silky texture calming her thoughts. The vibrant orange color shimmering back at her instantly caused a small smile to surface. Ino noted that it looked sad.

"I'm sure it would be more orange."

. . .

Sakura tenderly played with the lone petal all the way home and lightly placed it on top of her bedside table. She would later spend all night gazing at it, soundless wishes of _would have been_'s hushed under her breath like a prayer.

"Where were you last night?"

"Hmm-? Oh, hello Sasuke-kun. Good morning."

Sasuke nodded, and Sakura's eyes glimmered at his way own way of _good morning. _"Are you headed to the Hokage tower, as well? Do you have a mission?"

"No," he answered simply.

Green eyes narrowed in confusion and looked at the profile of the man walking beside her. Even after all these years, he was still so beautiful in the manliest way possible. _He may be beautiful_, Sakura thought, _but his incredible strength was just_- she quieted her thoughts before they got out of hand and looked away attempting to hide the blush that crawled onto her cheeks.

"Then are you accompanying me on my walk?"

"Is that all right?"

Sakura blanched and fumbled for words. "I-I- you- _what?_ Uhh." Was Sasuke _teasing_ her? The way one corner of his mouth lifted just the slightest bit was her answer. He _was _teasing her. Completely flustered and stunned- because this was Sasuke and when did he ever tease people for the fun of it- Sakura settled for a, "Mhm. Of course."

From the corner of his eye the dark-haired man watched as the short girl let out a large breath that she seemed to have been holding and tried to get control of her frayed emotions.

"Where were you last night?" He repeated his earlier question. That seemed to have caught her attention and Sakura tilted her head, looking at him with her bright bright- _so green- _bright eyes.

"You were not at the hospital, nor were you at home," Sasuke explained.

It took a moment for Sakura to recall what she did last night, eyebrows furrowed and eyes looking upwards as if she could look into her own mind for the memories and snapped her fingers when she remembered. "Oh! I fell asleep in my office-"

"The woman said you weren't there."

"The receptionist? Yeah, well, she told to me that Naruto asked her not to let anyone bother me until I woke up on my own. The punk even turned off my alarm! He's lucky I have an evening shift today."

Though on the outside his face remained neutral, Sasuke couldn't help the irritation that welled up no matter how hard he tried to push it down and away. His tongue tasted bitter. He would never in a million years even with a kunai pressed against his throat admit that he was aware of the brother-like bond between him and the loud blonde, but he knew it was there. When he returned, it seemed that the dobe created a new bond with their other teammate, and Sasuke couldn't say he was surprised, but he was never really sure how or when it began. And the darker, bitter side of him wasn't so sure he was glad about it. Neither one of them ever spoke about how it started and he never asked. Now it was just _there_. Like it was inevitable.

His blood boiled at the thought of just how _deep _their bond went.

"Well, what's on your mind, Sasuke-kun? It must be important if you looked for me this morning too." Sakura gnawed on the inside of her cheek at the thought of the man going out of his way to search for her. The silence between them was making her anxious to her very bones. She bit a little too hard and when blood pooled onto her tongue; he spoke.

"You asked me about what if's."

And though all Sakura wanted to do was scoff at him with a wave of her hand, saying _what are you talking about, Sasuke-kun, you silly silly boy-_ she nodded, slowly. "I did."

"And that I've grown."

Sakura nodded again. "You have."

Sasuke hesitated for the smallest moment before continuing in a solid voice. "That you believe you're incapable of catching up to me."

Her tongue was already forming the words as her mind commanded _deny deny deny _but her heart felt differently. She felt it then, that it was tired, too tired, to pretend and smile-it-off anymore. This time she spoke no words and only gave a single dip of her chin.

"Sakura-"

"Sasuke, wait. Stop." When he did, Sakura held her breath and began with a heavy heart. "That night- I was out of place. We practically spent the whole day together with training and then dinner, and I think that just washed up old feelings I was never really sure about to begin with. It was childish of me to ask you such silly questions… You'd think being twenty and all that I'd mature by now, guess not." She finished with a dry giggle and a lift of her shoulder.

Green eyes didn't have the courage to meet the pair boring holes into her head. With an impassive expression, Sasuke remained silent. It looked like the girl had more to say by the way her lips were firmly pressed into a line, but thought it best to cut her rambling short.

_Old _feelings? _Feelings that she was never really sure about? _Sasuke clenched his jaw. Fine. If she wanted to deny and pretend ignorance, then Sasuke wouldn't object. It would save him energy and a headache. But then the pink head lifted and he was so sure that there would be tears streaming down her cheeks- and sad eyes met his. A kind of sad that was felt to the marrow of her bones and weighed heavy in her veins.

He realized then that he really wasn't _fine_ with it.

Before he processed that his lips were even moving, his tongue had already formed the words. "What if I asked you to dinner?"

Sasuke watched as those once dull orbs widened with wonderment.

"What? Sasuke-kun, I already said that you don't have to-"

"What if?" the man interrupted curtly. He already asked once, and he wasn't one to repeat himself.

Sakura stared at the grown man before her and took three even breaths before she asked, "Are you being serious?"

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Sakura. Am I ever one to joke?"

"No," she admitted in a whisper. "But…"

At this point, there was only so much hesitation a guy could take before he began to misunderstand. "Have your feelings changed?" Sasuke was proud that there was only the slightest hesitation in his tone. Then her pink lips formed a slow, small smile and all thoughts, the doubtful and the confident, vanished.

"What if I said okay? When would we-?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Sakura repeated. "What if I'm busy tomorrow? Are you even free? I know you've been pretty swamped these past few months with missions and your new team." Sasuke rose one eyebrow in question. "Tsunade likes to complain about you and Naruto when she's had too much to drink, which is like, every other hour," she explained with a scrunch of her nose.

Sasuke made sure to catch her gaze when he said, "I'll make time." The stony look he gave her could make girls swoon at his feet, and by the way the tips of Sakura's ears burned red and how she subtly cleared her throat a few times proved that she was no more immune than the others.

With a blush dusting her cheeks, Sakura reached out for the hand hanging by Sasuke's side and brushed her thumb over the pale knuckles.

"Then I guess," she breathed, "I'll make time, too."

. . .

"Do you ever think about what if we didn't work out?"

"How so?"

"You know- what if I didn't feel the same way anymore and realized it too late, or what if you realized that I wasn't what you wanted all along and you just got ahead of yourself? You know, _this _and _that_."

"No. I don't."

"You don't _what_?"

"I don't think about those hypothetical situations."

"_But what if_ we didn't work out?"

"But we did."

"...You're right. We did."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **All right, before I forget, the lyrics at the top of the page are from Kanye West's song, "I Wonder".

Hello there! It's been quite a while. I guess I sort of fell out of the whole Naruto fandom and such for a bit (and I still have no damn clue on what's going on), but I threw myself back into rereading some of my absolute favorite Sasuke/Sakura fanfics, and inspiration sparked. I have to admit, I liked how this one started out but then by the end of it I feel like I just spewed all over my keyboard.

So… tada! I hope you enjoyed it!

I've also come to realize that I practically ship Sakura with nearly any character. Okay, okay- I _was _one of those people who are complete SasuSaku-4-lyf3 die-hards and rejected the idea of Naruto and Sakura, but it sort of rubbed off on me when I read a few good fics with them as the main pair. I just prefer when writers don't convey Naruto as some air-headed goofball. But anyways! I want to know:

**Other than Sasuke, who do _you _prefer Sakura to be with?**

For me, other than Sasuke or Naruto, I really enjoy Sakura and Kakashi as a couple. The fics for them as a pairing are so witty and fun to read!

Okay. Rambling stops here. Let me know your answer in a review. And if you liked or disliked this particular shot, drop a review and let me know why. _Thank you!_


	7. Midnight Pickup

**A/N:** Hi hiiii! The last time I updated this was about two months ago or so, and to be honest, that's an achievement for me.

*high fives every single one of you*

I do not own _Naruto_. Italicized lyrics are from "Paradise Circus" by Massive Attack.

Please excuse any mistakes, I only read the entire thing over about twice then I got too anxious and had to post it or else it would at least take me another three hours to edit and check every sentence.

Yeah- I have issues. I'll see you at the bottom._ Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>midnight pickup<p>

. . .

_Love is like a sin, my love,_

_For the one that feels it the most_

_. . ._

Sasuke ignored the biting chill of the cold at the back of his neck. He watched the white puff of his exhale for a moment before he tucked the cream colored coat in the crook of his elbow. The warm air from within the hospital was nice against the stiff skin of his nose and hands and he unconsciously wiggled his fingers to aid the blood flow. Though he welcomed the heat the building provided, Sasuke was never fond of the sterile smell that clung to the white walls; no matter how many times he frequented the hospital due to a pink haired doctor.

"Hello, Uchiha-san! Sakura is currently with a patient that just underwent surgery and she should be in her office shortly."

"Aa," Sasuke nodded at the older woman sipping on her hot tea behind the reception desk. The knowing smirk she tried to hide behind her chipped orange mug went ignored. "Thank you."

The cool stillness of the room confirmed his suspicion that the office had been unoccupied for quite a while. There was no lingering warmth that only a human body could emit; there was only the constant blasting of the artificial heat from the vents.

With a long, exasperated sigh, Sasuke shut the door gently behind him and didn't bother to turn on the lights. The luminous silver light that beamed in through the open shades was enough for him to maneuver around perfectly fine. He made his way to Sakura's wooden desk and shook his head at the mountain of paperwork that nearly took over the entire surface. Some pieces fell over when he plucked a random manila folder from the mass. The red 'URGENT' stamped across the cover caught his eye and when he was a quarter of the way through the patient's file did he notice that majority of the mound of folders on the desk were categorized as _urgent_.

Sasuke's jaw unconsciously ticked in irritation. This woman was going to work herself into an early grave; and he'd follow right after because of the guilt of not doing anything about it. And, also, because there was no world for him if she didn't exist in it.

No longer interested, the file was tossed back on top of the pile to rejoin the others and Sasuke moved to park himself on the plush green apple colored couch to brood. He lifted his legs to rest them on the low dark wooden table that was marked with several coffee and tea stains.

_Clumsy girl_, he thought, half amused.

The cream coat was neatly folded beside him. Sasuke lounged his arms onto the back of the couch and turned his head this way and that until he heard a satisfying _pop, _letting go of the breath he was holding.

Sasuke sat there, head tilted back as his eyes unseeingly roamed across the ceiling, and allowed the frustration and anger and _annoyance _to wash over him. God, how she was _so annoying_. He would never understand how such a petite woman with pastel pink hair- for goodness' sake- could be so infuriating.

It was two AM when Sasuke had enough of reading a historical scroll, idly waiting for his girlfriend to come home from her shift that ended seven hours ago and made the fifteen minute walk to the still brightly lit hospital to drag her home. He knew that an argument would ensue because she always claimed that she was an '_adult_' that was perfectly '_responsible_' and knew when to call it a day. But the fact that just the night before she had spent an extra twelve hours in the building that both saved lives and witnessed deaths conveyed that- _no_- she did not know when to call it a day.

It also displayed how stubborn Sakura could be.

He hadn't come after her that time and instead waited for her to get home to begin the scolding.

That night, or morning, really, she slept with her back towards him. And though Sasuke would never, never, admit this to her (even though he was positive she already _knew_ because she was just that irritating), he wasn't _not_ fond of her cuddling against him- throwing her leg over his and burying her nose along his neck. Sasuke was his calmest in those moments.

He mentally cringed at the word 'cuddling'.

When he awoke Sakura was already getting ready for the day and she gave him a terse "morning" before pecking him a brief kiss on the cheek. She once made him agree way back when they first began their relationship that no matter how resentful they were towards one another that they always had to say _goodnight_ before bed and greet each other a _good morning_. She had said something about how it was important to never go to bed angry with one another because it would just breed more negative feelings the next morning and it would produce a cycle until it ended with both of them _"hating each other's guts". _It was a rule she upheld, and thus, he did too.

Sasuke was sure that tonight would be a repeat of the previous one because she tended to misinterpret his concern for him trying to baby her.

One of his largest regrets in life was planting the seed of insecurity in her head about her abilities. When he came back, it took him two years to finally accept the feelings towards his former teammate, he worked hard to ensure that she understood that he considered her as an equal. He wasn't outright about it, but he showed her in his own way, and when they started dating he would whisper his remorse for ever causing her to feel incapable- lesser.

She would always brush away his silent apologies with a soft brush of her fingers or a slow kiss, but it was apparent that it would take more time for that feeling of inferiority to completely disappear since she always picked a fight when he claimed that she was working too much. The man pinched the bridge of his nose at the thought of another argument.

It was then that the door opened, letting in a wide strip of fluorescent light from the hall, and revealed the subject of his musing. Sakura was wrapped in her white lab coat and in her hands was another massive cluster of files. Balanced on top of it all was a mug of what he guessed was black coffee. Sasuke was getting tired of the sight of manila folders.

Sakura's eyes went wide before they narrowed in displeasure and suspicion, her temper getting the best of her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You really have to ask?" Sasuke wasn't known for his patience either and the small amount that he did have thinned at her tart tone.

His reply was a scoff as the woman smoothly kicked the door shut behind her, not caring to flick on the lights, and moved to place her items on the small corner of her desk that wasn't already occupied by stacks of reports, files, and documents.

It seemed like she was content in ignoring him so Sasuke spoke first, cutting the cold silence that buzzed with tension.

"You're coming home. Now," he rumbled. Maybe that wasn't the best approach, Sasuke briefly mused, but he really didn't feel like beating around the bush- it was past three AM.

Sakura put down her mug a little too harshly causing the dark liquid to swish over the side, burning her hand. She grit her teeth and flicked her wrist in reaction. She lifted her hand to her mouth and sucked at the skin that stung before remembering what had caused her to snap in the first place. Furious jade eyes met heated dark ones.

"I'm busy," she said through clenched teeth.

She could feel the tense aura radiating off of Sasuke at her immature response.

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Do you realize what time it is?"

Sakura stopped herself from rolling her eyes because she knew that if she did one more childish act then Sasuke may just break a tooth from all his jaw clenching. Then again, one of the small joys in life that she appreciated was pushing her boyfriend's buttons. She and Naruto always had a good laugh over it.

"Yes, I am aware of the time. And you're being condescending, so I'm going to ignore you now," Sakura stated and turned her back to him to begin organizing the fresh reports she was given. She barely had time to register the spike in Sasuke's chakra and his approaching steps when he snatched the folder in her hand and threw it, hitting the window so suddenly that it shivered before the papers exploded from within and flitted to the floor.

The room was so quiet that the only sounds were of the papers softly fluttering and Sasuke's deep breathing in her ear. He was standing so close that Sakura could feel his chest briefly brush against her back with each inhale. She knew Sasuke was trying to keep his composure and that she was walking on a fine line with testing his temper. The woman wondered at what made him lose his cool so quickly because though he wasn't an incredibly patient person, he had hell of a more restraint than her.

She heard his breath hitch before he spoke.

"Do not turn your back on me," Sasuke rasped. "Sakura. _You_ do not turn your back on me."

The way he said her name and that last sentence with such desperation confused and irked her. Sakura shifted to turn around and expected to meet his glare with one of her own for his commanding tone, but stopped short when she saw the anguish in his expression. His brows were furrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line- but it was his eyes. His dark eyes seemed to be pleading with her in a way Sakura was not familiar with. Then she remembered his words:

"You_ do not turn your back on me."_

-and she understood. She understood in the way that only Haruno Sakura could understand Uchiha Sasuke- like she had for almost half her life.

His tone was not demanding, but more of imploring; urging, for her to confirm that she would not turn her back on him. It sounded like he was not only speaking to her but also saying it aloud to himself. Sakura bit her lip at her realization and the guilt felt heavy in the pit of her stomach. Too many people have turned their back on Sasuke, and the one person that he began to convince himself that wasn't going to betray him to whisper nasty things behind their hands or judge him with pitying eyes or completely disappear to never return-

…Sakura realized her mistake.

She turned her neck back so that she faced her overwhelming desk once more. A small sigh escaped her lips, suddenly too tired. All the fight boiling in her veins cooled and in its place was a weariness that she felt in the marrow of her bones. Sakura took a half step back, leaning into the hard chest behind her, and smiled a little at the way Sasuke stiffened. All those years and he still hadn't kicked the habit of being unaccustomed to physical contact.

"Sasuke-kun, what am I going to do with you?" she whispered airily, a slight teasing in her voice. Barely moving her head, Sakura looked upwards to watch the man's expression and she almost giggled at the way his eyebrows knitted in confusion at the turn in events. He was probably expecting her to growl and throw something, which would be typical of her short temper.

Shaking her head- they were being so silly, and she was so tired of arguing- she reached for the limp hand by his side and gave a small tug. "Come sit with me." Sakura didn't need to ask because she knew he would follow her to the ends of the earth, and she would do the exact same for him in a heartbeat.

Sasuke didn't hold her hand back; and she was okay with that because he was still probably really displeased with her. Sakura sat down first and when her boyfriend did the same she closed the distance between them and latched onto his arm, holding it tight against her chest, and rested her temple on his shoulder.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura felt him shift a bit, getting into a more comfortable position. "Hm," he hummed lowly.

She inhaled Sasuke's scent deeply not caring if he noticed. "I'm tired."

"Che," Sasuke scoffed. "That's why I'm trying to make you go home, stupid." His insult didn't hold any fire in it.

"But I'm not done. There's still so much I have to do-"

"And it'll still be there in the morning."

"-but I could do it _now_."

An exasperated sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. "What you need to do," he said slowly, "is rest." There was something that had been picking at Sasuke's thoughts the past few days and he thought that now would be a good time as any to finally mention it. "Sakura, is there something wrong?" Sakura opened her mouth and before she could deny that '_no, nothing is wrong'_- Sasuke continued, "Has something happened?"

There was a slight pause before she countered, "Why do you ask Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke sensed the hesitation in her reply. She tried her best to not squirm under his unwavering stare.

"You've been overworking yourself more so than usual. When was the last time you properly ate and slept?" Not giving her a chance to answer Sasuke ploughed on. "_You're_ the one always lecturing about the importance of rest."

Sakura's pout at being thoroughly scolded at morphed into a hard, grim frown. "I have no time to rest. I can't _rest _when there are people dying- people that I can potentially save." The hairs on her arms raised causing Sakura to shiver. "How can I possibly sleep…?" she trailed off, becoming lost in her own thoughts.

But she was jerked out of her dark muse when Sasuke grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger and raised her eyes to meet his. "Tell me what happened." He wasn't asking anymore, his dark orbs were hard and calculating.

Those eyes were and would always be her undoing; Sakura broke down at the sight of his searching gaze laced with concern. Bottom lip trembling, she explained, "I'm an idiot, that's what happened! This patient- this kind, sweet elderly man... and I- _he_- " her throat clogged painfully, preventing any more words to spill, she only managed a shaky sharp inhale. Sakura's unsteady breathing began to pick up and she raised a trembling hand to weekly rub at her forehead.

When she finally began to gather herself Sakura noticed that she was seated in the middle of the couch, her legs thrown over Sasuke's lap; her shoes on the floor. One of his hands rubbed at her taut calves, up and down and again, while his free hand rested at the base of her neck, fingers running through her pink locks.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm," Sakura hummed. She closed her eyes causing the tears that were blurring her vision to cascade down her cheeks. She felt the hand on the nape of her neck travel around and wipe away the tears. Her throat tightened up again at the soft comfort Sasuke was providing and she had to chew on her lower lip to stop a whimper from escaping.

Sakura was torn; part of her wanted to pull away and distance herself, not allowing her moment of weakness affect Sasuke and to brush everything off. But the other half of her wanted to latch onto the man and let the rivers of tears flow and the sorrow consume her.

Decision made, Sakura snuggled into the warmth the body of her boyfriend provided and inhaled. "Mm, I'll always be all right when you're with me."

"Sakura. Talk to me," Sasuke urged.

Sakura couldn't help it, she let out a small snort at his words. "The man that rarely speaks is asking _me _to talk. Silly."

From her position, head against his shoulder, she felt Sasuke tense. "Stop that," he chided. "Don't hedge around what you want to say, and just tell me." He felt the woman sigh and he distinctly smelled coffee- burnt, strong coffee.

There was a pause, the only sound was a pair of footsteps _clack clack clacking_ down the hallway as it passed by Sakura's office door. Sakura sniffed shortly and then began.

"The man, he'd been hospitalized for the past week due to a recent surgery I performed on him. He seemed to be regaining his strength each day and I was so _happy_ for him because though he was physically considered as elderly, he laughed and joked and smiled constantly- not once complaining about the amount of pills he had to take or the soreness I'm sure he was feeling. He always told me to stop worrying my "_pretty, genius head_" over him." Sakura's voice had cracked, raising a pitch, at the end of her sentence. Sasuke noticed her eyes glaze over becoming wet and shiny once more, her gaze far away.

"And yesterday as I was checking up on him he asked if he could be released early. His daughter is heavily pregnant and is due any day and he had heard that she was having pains so he wanted to be home and be there for her while her husband worked. He was supposed to be in our care for another week or so in order for us to make sure that he was completely healed, but he had _never _asked for anything and he had asked _so nicely _and how could I say _'no'_, Sasuke-kun? So, I let him. I authorized his release last night, but even then I had a feeling- a gut _feeling_ that something wasn't entirely right- _and then he_…"

There were several things Sasuke wanted to say: _"It wasn't your fault,"_ was one. "_You did your best,"_ was another. But they all sounded so damn cliché that Sasuke instead chose, "You can't beat yourself up over it."

Sakura scoffed. "How can I not? He _almost died_; in front of his daughter, no less. She's been by his side since they brought him in, pacing back and forth when she really should be off her feet."

"Wait. He's alive?" Sasuke interrupted. His eyebrows furrowed a bit, perplexed, taking a moment to catch up. He had assumed from the way that she was acting that the man had died, but if he was alive then…

"Yes. Well, he's alive _now. _He had collapsed early this morning in their home and I knew- _I fucking knew- _I shouldn't have let him leave early. There are strict rules and procedures about the healing period for such a strenuous surgery, especially for a man his age, and I- I let it all fucking blow in the wind because I was too soft. I should've held my ground." Sakura's tongue clicked in disappointment and lowered her head.

"Is he fine now?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"Yes, he's stable now and is sleeping soundly just down the hall."

"Then why are you so upset?"

Sakura jolted out of Sasuke's arms and sputtered, "What- _why? Why am I so upset?_ Because a sweet, caring man- a father, a _grandfather- _collapsed and almost died because I released him way too early when he _should _have been under my care so I could keep an eye on him. But of course I made a mistake and it nearly cost his life. Not to mention how all the stress is affecting his pregnant daughter who fell asleep on a _plastic chair_ in the lobby while I stabilized her father when she should have been at home relaxing comfortably in bed. _God_, I am _such_ an idiot."

Her hands bunched up into small fists and placed them over her eyes. Every time she closed them, behind her lids she could see the toothless grin of the nice man with all his wrinkles proudly displayed before it was replaced with the image of his pale, so pale, motionless expression.

"No more," Sasuke said, stern. Sakura didn't bother to move her hands from her eyes and he didn't care. Sasuke stood from the couch and reached for the coat he had brought along with him, unfolding it. When he peeled the white lab coat from her shoulders only to replace it with her cream one did she finally meet his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked, uncertain.

"I said no more."

She shook her head quickly and pushed away his arms. "No. No, I still have a lot to finish up here. I told you, I'm busy. Not only is there a ton of paperwork but I also want to freshen up on some medical studies. I need to keep working. I _cannot _make another mistake. I can't. I _won't_."

Sasuke sighed, frustrated. "You're not listening to me."

"You're not listening to _me_!" Sakura screeched back.

Dark eyes narrowed, making sure the pair of green ones were staring back, attentive. "You're coming home with me. Now. The man is fine, his daughter is fine, but you- you are _not _fine. You need to rest, properly, in a bed and for at least eight hours. And you need to eat-"

Sakura opened her mouth to argue. "-a fucking granola bar doesn't cut it, Sakura." She shut her mouth, her expression was a mix of pissed off and looking like a child being thoroughly chastised.

"You have colleagues and nurses for a reason. Let them help. Now, put on your coat, it's cold outside."

Pouting, Sakura snatched her coat from the offering hand and pushed her arms through the sleeves. She looked down at thick buttons dejectedly, and Sasuke, always so observant, rolled his eyes as he grabbed her hands and pulled her up to stand before him. Between the couch and the coffee table, there was only so much space for two adults, therefore, Sakura's nose practically brushed against Sasuke's chest as he quietly buttoned her coat closed with ease.

When he was done, Sasuke lifted his hand to her face; Sakura, whom was expecting him to gently cradle her cheek gasped in surprise when Sasuke flicked her forehead instead. "Come on," he smirked.

A small smile had made its way across Sakura's face, her eyes warm. She stood on her tiptoes to softly kiss the tip of Sasuke's nose, then his chin. "Thank you," she breathed, sincerely, eyes never leaving his.

Sasuke nodded and let Sakura lace her fingers with his.

"Always," he promised.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** *twiddles thumbs* I swear, I didn't intend it to get so angsty. How did it get so angsty? I don't know.

I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something; I have a thing for angst.

It also wasn't supposed to be this long, either. But what's done is done and I don't necessarily hate this piece so I consider that a success. I kinda like it really.

It was also pretty cool to play around in Sasuke's head.

OH. And, I don't usually (never) read the manga or watch the recent episodes because I feel like I'm so far gone that I've given up on trying to figure out what's going on- like, really, someone please catch me the fuck up on what in the flying duck's name is going on in _Naruto_ because the last full episode that I watched was before Shippuden and all this time I've just been gaining info. via a quick Wikipedia skim or from other fan fictions

(like why does Sakura have the seal on her forehead now? why is Sasuke suddenly in the picture again? where's Tsunade? who is this crazy Kaguya individual? Obito-what, I thought you died, man?).

BUT DUDE, that last chapter though. Chapter 685 has gone down in the books for one of the best SasuSaku moments evahhh. *commence squealing* I searched up the manga only for that scene. I've never done that before. And then commence the rivers of tears for the apparent end of _Naruto_.

Okay, I'm done rambling. I have class in 30 minutes and my stomach is growling a storm; there's a baby polar bear in there.

Love you all! Thanks so much to everyone that spent the time reading, favoriting, alerting, and especially _reviewing_. I really love reviews, guys. They get me through the day. Just _talk_ to me. Until next time!


End file.
